the tale of the two brothers
by Lavender Flame
Summary: Three memories of the two Creevey brothers.


**For the If You Dare Challenge, prompt "Grown-Up", and the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition, Season Two/Round One, as a Keeper for the Caerphilly Catapults, prompt "Siblings".**

* * *

When Colin was ten and Dennis was eight, Dennis caught pneumonia from a friend and had to stay inside the house.

"I wanna—" he stopped for a coughing fit "—go outside, Mum!" he complained. Having to stay inside was slowly driving him insane. Dennis was always energetic and even though he was ill, he longed for fresh air and sunlight.

"Not until you're better," said their mother, and put yet another blanket over him, keeping him further away from the spring breeze.

Colin was a good older brother. A _great_ older brother. So he left Dennis' room where he'd been watching and approached his father. "Dad, can I come with you on your milk route?"

The abrupt question startled his father. "Why?"

"I want to take good pictures for Dennis. _Interesting_ ones, not just ones of things he's already seen. And you have to see some interesting things on your route."

"It would be past your bedtime—" Colin pouted "—but since it's for your brother… all right."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Colin threw his arms around his father's neck.

.

Colin sat in the passenger seat of the truck with his camera at the ready and his window open. They were just getting started, but already Colin was feeling sleepy. But he tried to keep his eyes focused. But… it was awfully dark outside. Colin didn't like the dark. But he would deal with it.

"Ooh, look at that tree!" Colin snapped pictures of a willowy tree just starting to bloom, silhouetted against the dark sky. He took pictures of the field of flowers around it, turning on the flash. He took pictures of interesting-looking houses and funny license plates and even-more-sleepy pictures of the dawn when it came.

By the time they got back to the house, Colin was fast asleep, camera still in his hand. His father carried him in with a fond smile, setting the camera on Colin's nightstand and tucking Colin into bed.

.

There was plenty of light when Colin went to show Dennis the pictures.

Dennis gave a weak smile and sometimes a laugh to each one, albeit congested-sounding, and comments. "What was that puppy doing out?" "How does that house stay up?" "Look at all the colors!"

Colin was still feeling a little bit short on sleep, probably not good considering he was more at risk for getting pneumonia. But their parents had been unable to keep them apart.

And his little brother's smile was worth everything.

…

It was Colin who taught Dennis how to fly.

Dennis was having a hard time learning in his first year, and while Colin wasn't an expert flyer, he was willing to give his little brother some pointers.

So they went out to the Quidditch pitch alone at night for Colin to help improve Dennis' flying.

They both hovered in the air, and Colin had several chocolate frogs in his pocket. "You want one?" he called over to Dennis.

"Of course!" he said.

"Then go get it!" Colin pitched one of the frogs through the air, and instinctually, Dennis took off after it, catching it and starting to eat… "Dennis, stop!" Colin called after him, as he promptly almost crashed into the stands.

"Whoops! Sorry!" Dennis returned, hovering.

"And you said you couldn't fly. Rubbish. All you needed was chocolate."

.

They secretly flew like this every night. Dennis got better and better.

He rushed onto the pitch to meet Colin one night, yelling, "Colin, Colin! Guess what? I did it! I did it! I got an Outstanding on my Flying test!" He pounced onto his brother to hug him too tightly.

"Hey, nice," he said, and ruffled his little brother's hair. "Want to celebrate by… oh, I don't know… flying?" He offered a wry grin.

They did fly. Colin showed him the magical pictures he'd taken of the last Quidditch match and gotten developed, of the techniques everyone used—but especially of Harry.

"If you loved me like you love Harry, maybe I'd have learned faster," said Dennis, nudging his brother.

Colin shoved him back.

.

Colin's class didn't have a substitute one day, so he had a free period while Dennis was in Flying. So he went down to watch.

And what he saw made him both glow with pride and want to cry at the same time.

Dennis flew perfectly, surrounded by a large group of friends, showing off things he'd learned and trying to help them out, too. "Lean forward more! Keep straight!"

_The student becomes the master._

Dennis didn't need him so much anymore. His little brother didn't seem so little. Dennis had other people.

And he was doing better than his older brother.

…

They went home for Christmas, and it was a blast. They made paper chains and hung up ornaments and made Christmas cookies and planned out their presents and sang carols and watched Christmas movies and lit the fireplace and hung their stockings and—

And, well, generally annoyed their parents by bouncing off the walls.

The decorations and cookie ingredients got everywhere, all over them and the house, and the sugar amount that they ingested wasn't helping their hyper-ness.

Colin took the family portrait again. "Move to the left! No, no, _my_ left! That's _your_ right! Are you listening, Aunt Bertha? No, no, now stop moving! … Ulgh."

.

They had a "sleepover" on Christmas Eve, both of them on different perpendicular couches in the living room, with light coming from the dim fireplace, the television still quietly playing an old Christmas movie, and the lights hanging on the Christmas tree.

Dennis fell asleep first. Colin put a red-and-green throw blanket over him. "'Night, Dennie." He looked over at the massive pile of various cookies that they'd put out for Father Christmas and shook his head at it.

He went back to the couch and tried to wait up as long as possible.

But like every other child in the world, he quickly fell asleep.

.

He woke to see Dennis' eager face, leaning over him and jumping on the couch, squealing, "It's Christmas; it's Christmas!"

Colin laughed, a wide grin spreading across his face.

"Our stockings are full and there are more presents under the tree! Come on!"

He jumped up from the couch, abandoning his own blanket—how had that gotten there?—and Dennis followed him. "It really does feel like Christmas!" said Colin, and did a few hops of his own. "I hope it always stays just like this."


End file.
